The present disclosure relates to a fixing device configured to fix a toner image on a recording medium and an image forming apparatus provided with the fixing device.
An electrographic image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine and a printer, is provided with a fixing device configured to fix a toner image on a recording medium such as a sheet . The fixing device includes a fixing member (for example, a fixing roller or a fixing belt) and a pressing member (for example, a pressing roller or a pressing belt) configured to come in pressure-contact with the fixing member. By heating and pressing the recording medium and the toner image at a fixing nip formed between the fixing member and the pressing member, the toner image is fixed on the recording medium.
For example, a fixing deice having the fixing member, the pressing member which comes in pressure-contact with the fixing member to form the fixing nip and a separating member which separates the recording medium passed through the fixing nip from the fixing member is provided. The above separating member has a separating plate which faces a sheet passing region (a region through which the recording medium is passed) of the fixing member with an interval and a restricting piece which comes in contact with a non-sheet passing region (a region outside the sheet passing region).
In the above-mentioned fixing device, when foreign substances (for example, toner, paper powder, shaving chips of a surface coating of the fixing member) are deposited on a space between the non-sheet passing region of the fixing device and the restricting piece of the separating member, the fixing member would be damaged or the foreign substances would adhere on the recording medium to contaminate the recording medium. Alternatively, when the foreign substances are sandwiched between the non-sheet passing region of the fixing member and the restricting piece of the separating member, the interval between the sheet passing region of the fixing member and the separating plate of the separating member would be varied.